Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, February 2026 — LankaPay has announced the appointment of Mr. Kalana Senarathne as its new Chief People Officer (CPO). He succeeds Mr. Lakshman C Palliyaguruge, who concludes a distinguished 12-year career at LankaPay upon reaching retirement.
A seasoned HR leader with more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Senarathne is widely recognized for driving people strategy, organizational transformation, and leadership excellence across diverse industries and geographies. He brings deep expertise in HR transformation, digital HR ecosystems, talent and succession strategy, and culture-led performance systems, with exposure across IT, FMCG, FMCD, NBFS, Property & Real Estate, Automotive, Plantation, Beverages, Construction, and Manufacturing.
Prior to joining LankaPay, Mr. Kalana Senarathne served at Wardena Venture Holdings (Pvt) Ltd for nearly three and a half years, most recently as Group Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, he partnered with multi-business leadership teams across Sri Lanka, Singapore, UAE, and Kenya, supporting HR strategy and transformation initiatives spanning a large group ecosystem, including companies such as Wichy Plantation Company, Wichy Beverages, Wichy International, Eco Trends, Bitumix, Megakem Lanka, Megakem Engineering, Ayura Wellness, CYLN Global, Gallant Mercantile, and Bitukem Technologies East Africa.
Before that, he held the role of Group General Manager – Human Resources at the same group, contributing to strategic HR leadership, cultural transformation, succession planning, and analytics-driven workforce decisions.
Earlier, he spent close to five years with Assetline (David Peiris Group ecosystem) as Group Head of Human Resources, supporting HR leadership across multiple entities including DPMC Assetline Holdings, Assetline Finance Limited, Assetline Capital, Assetline Securities, Assetline Lands, and other group companies. His portfolio included HR governance, compliance, due diligence, standardization of HR processes, change management, and performance transformation.
He also served at Orient Finance PLC (Janashakthi Group) as Head of Human Resources, where he contributed to HR oversight and compliance-driven HR strengthening in a regulated financial services environment.
Mr. Senarathne’s earlier leadership track includes a significant tenure with Asia Securities / Asia Capital Group, where he progressed through multiple senior roles such as Vice President Human Resources, Director Human Resources & Corporate Management, and Head of Human Resources, strengthening end-to-end HR leadership, HR transformation, employer branding, and strategic HR governance.
In his foundational corporate years, he served as Head of Human Resources and Administration at Nilkamal Limited, contributing to HR leadership across Sri Lanka and India, building strong cross-border HR exposure and operational HR capability.
Welcoming the appointment, LankaPay expressed confidence in Mr. Senarathne’s leadership in shaping a high-performance, people-centric culture aligned with the organization’s growth and innovation journey.
About LankaPay
LankaPay’s vision is rooted in a belief in the value of customer time—driving innovation through solutions that are simpler, faster, and secure. The organization envisions a future beyond cash, powered by a national payment technology infrastructure that connects every corner of Sri Lanka through an efficient and secure payment network, enriching lives and enabling new opportunities. LankaPay is also actively planning to extend its impact globally, ensuring Sri Lanka’s payment innovation resonates internationally.
Read Also : When HR “Produces Nothing”: A Response to Jennifer Sey’s Anti-HR Vision
The Fine Balance: Navigating Work, Life, and Mental Wellbeing
Mind the Leadership Gap – From Learning to Real-World Impact
How the Adecco Group is empowering its employees for the future of work
